Tipping The Scales
by Not Important1
Summary: Golden SunFinal Fantasy Crossover Fic. UPDATED! Alex finds out more about Beatrix, the General of Alexandria. Perhaps more than he wants to.
1. Chapter I

Not Important: Why hello there, nice to see you.

Haze: Cut the crap, you're about as happy to see them as you are to see me!

Echo: That was mean. True, but mean.

N.I.: Typical, my first fanfic, and the djinni ruin it for me. Hey! Where's the other little demon?

Haze: I dunno, she'll show up eventually…heehee…

N.I.: Why don't I like the sound of that? Oh well, Echo? Please do the disclaimer.

Echo: NOT IMPORTANT DOES NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN, FINAL FANTASY, OR ANYTHING ELSE!

Haze: Although he does own a watermelon gumball… *chews* …oh wait…no he doesn't….

N.I.: Just start the fanfic…

~~~

Tipping The Scales

Chapter I

****

Six figures converse with each other while looking into an orb.

"It is almost time." 

"You are correct"

"Do we really want to do this? These ones, in particular, have been through so much already."

"They all have, but a time of great hardship is approaching. The ancient enemy has chosen to focus its forces on this world alone. If the fated of Gaia are to stand a chance, we must send one of them to tip the balance.

"Once again, you are correct, who shall we send?"

"It has be one of the Chosen of Venus, and the wielder of the Sol Blade will be required here. It must be him."

The figure pointed at the picture on the face of the orb.

"And so it shall be."

The figures disappeared leaving the orb as it was showing the one whose life was about to be flipped upside down. The one known as Isaac.

~~~

Outside of New Vale, two warriors squared off with each other, tense and ready to attack at a moment's notice.

*CLANG!*  


Sword connected with sword as Isaac attacked the target. This opponent lifted his sword, and moved to deliver a series of swipes. Isaac raised his sword to parry it, but his opponent, sensing Isaac's next move, lowered his sword and used it to trip Isaac. Isaac fell on his back, and his enemy pointed the sword at his neck.

"And this, is the part where I cut your head off." Felix smirked.

"Dammit Felix! How'd you get so good so quickly?" Isaac said while looking up at him.

"Well, being chased by people both for and against you, generally tends to be a good motivator."

"Heh, good point."

A figure approached from behind them. "Ahem, if you boys are done playing with your toys, I believe Isaac has a prior engagement.

The two Adepts jumped, startled.

"Mia! Don't do…tha…tha…tha" Isaac stuttered

Isaac's voice faltered as his eyes drank in the sight of his beloved. Mia stood in front of him, carrying a light bag, dressed in only a bikini that showed off her figure VERY well. 

"Isaac? If you're done staring, we have to go."

"G-go?"

"Yes silly, you said that we could go to the beach today. Remember?"

Forcing himself to pry his eyes off Mia, Isaac stood back and tried to think. He HAD promised her, but he'd forgotten about it when Felix offered to train with him

"Oh Mia! I'm sorry, but I completely forgot about it. I'm not really dressed for-"

"I know, that's why I brought your swimming shorts." Mia replied

Felix frowned, knowing that he'd just lost his sparring partner. He knew Isaac well enough to know that Mia could control him like a puppetmaster could a puppet, but dressed like THAT, Isaac would stop breathing if she asked him to. Not that she ever would, seeing that she was just as in love with him as he with her.

"You two have fun…," Felix said, rolling his eyes.

Mia looked at him, "You're coming too, Felix"

"Wait, you didn't go and get MY-"

"No, Jenna and Sheba did. And Sheba wants me to inform you that you are now fifty coins poorer. She also wants to say that if you don't show up, you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Hahahahahaha!" Isaac laughed

Felix flushed scarlet, but said nothing.

Mia tossed the clothes to the boys, "Now go ahead and get changed."

Isaac and Felix, both red, looked startled 

"M-M-Mia! You're going to…?!" Isaac stuttered

Mia smiled at them, "I'm JOKING! I'll go and let you boys get changed,"

~~~

"I'll get changed here, and you can get changed over there" Felix said, pointing to a nearby tree covered with bushes. 

"OK"

Isaac went over behind the bushes and began to get undressed, but spied a large black orb. Isaac poked it, but he didn't get any reaction out of it.

'What IS this thing?' he wondered

In an undistinguishable voice, the orb said "Chosen of Venus, name-Isaac, located, initiating relocation process."

Isaac stared at it, "What the hell?"  


The orb realized a bright light, and when the light disappeared, both it and Isaac were gone.

~~~

N.I. Well, my first chapter. Hmmm, seemed kinda short, but maybe it'll get better with more practice.

Haze: We…err…found Serac…

N.I.: Uh-oh…what did she do?

Echo: We don't know the specifics, but we do know it involves monkeys, turnips, and the reappearance of Atlantis.

N.I.: So…needless to say, I have to bail her out, right?

Haze: Yep, it was needless to say.

N.I. How much?

Echo: Five reviews.

N.I. WHAT!?! That's a fortune! I don't even have one! 

Haze: So, as usual, you need others to bail YOU out right?

N.I. Yep, and as much as I don't want to, I'm going to have to get her out. You'll help right?

Echo: You heard him, five reviews and Serac'll be free djinn, as well as a new chapter up!

R&R!


	2. Chapter II

NI: Well lets count the reviews…1…1….1?!

Echo: Hope Serac likes prison food…

Haze: Never did like her anyway, Mercury moron…

NI: *sigh*

????: Why the long face?

NI: Oh, nothing Serac, we just don't have…SERAC?!?

Serac: What? I got something on my face

NI: How…what….when…nevermind.

Echo: You missed the first chapter.

Serac: Awwww…

Haze: (Darn, thought I was rid of her forever!) Don't worry, the next chapter is in!

NI: Disclamer: I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN OR FINAL FANTASY! 

Tipping The Scales

Chapter II

*THUMP*

Isaac hit the ground with a long, dull thud. He rose to his feet and looked around. Trees surrounded him. He apparently, was in a forest. The thought of being in a forest calmed him, though not much. 

"Where the hell am I?"

He wandered around, half-heartedly calling out; hoping someone would hear him. Silence. 

Isaac kicked a rock, cursing his bad luck. He wondered if friends realized he wasn't coming to the beach. 

'Mia's probably worried sick' Isaac thought.

_Mia._ The thought of her made Isaac feel all the more lost. The sun began to set, and, as a cold breeze began to blow, Isaac realized that he needed to get a fire started. He gathered some kindling, and as soon as he set up the wood, he remembered something. He had no way of starting a fire. The entire time he had traveled, he had never though to get matches or anything, after all he traveled with a walking, talking, flamethrower.

"Damn," Isaac muttered to himself, "where's Garet when you need him?"

A stiff breeze blew through, and Isaac suppressed a shiver. With no way to start a fire, he decided that he had to keep moving, hoping that he could find a cave or some kind of shelter. Finally, he found a small cave, Isaac rushed to the back of the cave, and sat down to rest.

"Brrrr…." Isaac shivered "N-n-not supposed to be t-t-this cold in…in…ACHOO! …Summer…" 

Isaac went back to the entrance of the cave, and he saw something that made his jaw drop. It had begun to snow 

"Well, that settles it, we're not in the Lamakan Desert." said a voice on Isaac's shoulder.

"What tha…Flint!?" Isaac exclaimed, "Don't DO that!"

"Well sooorry, next time you're attacked by a giant purple monster, I'll make sure wait before telling you that you are about to be eaten!"

"Thank you…waitaminuite, what pur-"

"ROOOAAARRRRRR!"

~~~

Isaac rushed out of the cave, the beast in pursuit. Trudging in the snow, Isaac realized that he couldn't keep up this pace for long. Unsheathing Excalibur I*, he turned to face the monster.

"OK, you behemoth! You want a fight? You got it! ACHOO!"

The creature was very big, it stood on all fours, and had a nasty set of horns. He knew he was no match for the monster in his condition. But he was going to give it his best shot. He swiped at it, but it jumped back. It spun around, slamming its heavy tail into him. Isaac flew back and slammed into a tree.

"Errmmm…Isaac?" Granite popped up "I kept that blow from shattering your spine, but I don't think I could do it again…Isaac?"

~~~

__

"Isaac…" 

Isaac was dazed, but he would know Mia's voice from anywhere.

__

"Don't give up…Isaac…."

"Mia?"

_"Don't give up…"_

"ISAAC! WAKE UP!"

~~~

Isaac rolled out of the way just as the monster slammed its front feet on the tree, smashing it to splinters.

'Well it's about freaking time ISAAC! Sap and Ground have been keeping him busy though I don't think they can hold out for much longer…' Bane scolded him mentally.

"Alright, I'm up, I'm up… "

Isaac looked around, the creature was being pressed on the ground and vines had sprouted from the snow to keep him down, but neither looked like they could keep the thing down for long.

ROAARRRR!

The beast snapped the vines and sprung up to his feet. He swiped one of his massive paws at Isaac.

He brought his sword up to block, but was slammed to the ground. The monster stood over Isaac and lifted his feet, preparing to stomp him into mush. Isaac closed his eyes and prepared for the end.

'Sorry Mia…I tried…'   


'ISAAC!' The djinn yelled mentally.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size, like Steiner!"  


"Hey!"

RRHAAGH!

Isaac opened his eyes. A boy, about his age, apparently had slashed the monster with twin daggers. At his side was a man in plate-mail armor, 

"Hey Rusty, distract him for a second while I check on blondie over there." the boy said.

"Rusty!? Why you…"

"Just do it!"

The boy approached Isaac, and despite his near-unconscious state, Isaac managed to note some details about the person. He was blonde (which irked Isaac about the "blondie" comment), and had a… tail? Isaac shook his head, thinking he had imagined it. 

"You OK?" the boy asked.

"Do I look OK?!" Isaac said, a bit flustered.

"Whoa…calm down, I'm on your side."

"Sorry…"

"S'ok. Here." He handed Isaac a small vial, "Drink it. It tastes like crap, but it'll fix you up real quick."

Isaac took the vial and glanced at it, before swallowing the whole thing.

"Sppptt..patooie!" Isaac sputtered, "You weren't kidding…"

"Tell me about it. Can you stand?" He inquired

Surprisingly, he could. In fact, he felt as good as new. Isaac leapt to his feet and searched around for his sword

"Where...the…hell…is…it!?!" He yelled as he searched for it in the slush.

"Looking for this?" the boy held up Excalibur I.

"Thanks…?"  


"Zidane"

"Isaac"

"Nice to meet ya', "

"Likewise,"

"IF YOU TWO ARE DONE SOCIALIZING, I COULD USE SOME HELP OVER HERE!" The man in armor yelled as the monster chased him.

"WE'RE COMING!" Zidane looked at Isaac "Can you fight?"

Isaac laughed "Just try to keep up!"

The two charged the behemoth, Zidane dodging and weaving, while Isaac delivered quick and nimble swipes to the monster. Steiner followed up with powerful slices of his own. But despite the beating the monster kept striking back with attacks of its own. The monster jumped back and let out an unearthly roar. Suddenly, a meteor fell down from the heavens, missing the trio by inches.

"Damn, forgot they could cast Meteor," Zidane cursed, "This one's tough, and with no spellcaster of our own, we're at a huge disadvantage!"

Isaac gave Zidane a look "What do you mean 'No spellcaster"? Stand back boys!"

"STONE SPIRE!"

With his command, huge stone rocks materialized and dropped on the monster. But it shrugged the rocks off.

"What the-"

Isaac felt a tugging on his tunic, and he turned around to see a small boy, his face covered in shadows made from his large hat.

Zidane smiled "Hey Vivi! Wonderin' when you'd show up."

Vivi nodded, "Nice try sir, but they're resistant to Earth magic. What you want, is something like this!"  


He waved his staff around before pointing it at the Behemoth.

"BLIZZAGA!" 

With that, A column of ice rose up from beneath the monster and shattered into thousands of ice shards. But still the monster still stood up right!

Once again the monster yelled out. This time, however, the meteor struck the four dead on. Completely drained of his strength, Isaac struggled to get back to his feet. Looking around, he realized chances of survival looked slim. A voice from behind yelled out.

"CURAGA!"

Isaac felt a warm feeling run through his body, restoring some of his energy. He turned around to see a young woman with long black hair wearing an orange jumpsuit.

She gave Zidane a harsh glare, "I leave you alone for THREE seconds, and you get in a fight…"

Zidane looked sheepish, "Awwww, Dagger, c'mon, this fellow needed some help…"

Her glare softened and she looked at Isaac "Oh, hello, and you are…?"  


"Isaac, and can we please continue this later?"  
  
"Oh, yes I agree," She looked at Zidane "We WILL talk later"

Zidane stared at the ground.

She turned and faced the Behemoth.

"BAHAMUT! MEGA FLARE!"

A large black dragon appeared in the sky. He hovered in the air, and began to charge up.

Vivi grabbed Isaac's tunic again "Ummm…sir? You don't want to be around when that gets off,"

Isaac, who had been completely entranced by Bahamut's appearance, shook his head and followed Vivi away.

Bahamut blasted the Behemoth, reducing it to ashes.

~~~

NI: Again, it seemed kinda short… oh well

Echo: The author would like to thank his reviewers…errr…reviewer, Net Strife

NI: Oh, and a side note, the sword Isaac wields, Excalibur I, is actually just plain Excalibur, but because Piers/Picard and Garet also have Excaliburs in this story, I numbered them so nobody got confused.

Haze: If he can get his act together, the next chapter should be out in a week.

Serac: Please Review!


	3. Chapter III

NI: *sneaking around the corner* Heh heh heh, I think I lost 'em

Haze: *Popping out of nowhere* YOUR'E LATE! *casts Shine Plasma* 

NI: *****dodging lightning*AHHHHHH!

Echo: You know, normally I'd stop this, but, I'm really enjoying this….

Serac: Oh, the so-to-be crispy author would like to say that this will not just be with FFIX characters…he'd like to, but he's BUSY at the moment. Hee hee hee!

Tipping The Scales

Chapter III

'Damn it Isaac, where are you?' Garet thought as Mia's frantic cries rang through out the forests of New Vale. Isaac had been missing for three days now, leaving everyone, especially Mia, extremely worried. According to Felix, he and Isaac had turned their back to each other to get changed, he noticed a flash out of the corner of his eye, and when he turned around, Isaac was gone. Mia was back at her and Isaac's house being consoled by Piers* as best as he could. Meanwhile, Garet, Felix, Jenna, and Sheba went into the woods, searching day and night for Isaac. The nearby town of Vault had been informed of Isaac's disappearance, and they were assured that were their any sign of Isaac, the Valeans would be readily informed.

"Isaac!" Felix shouted.

"Isaac! Where are you?!" Sheba yelled.

"Isaac! Are you out there?!" shouted Jenna.

"ISAAC! GET OUT HERE NOW!" yelled Garet

Felix, Sheba, Jenna just stared at him.

"What? It's worked before!"

Felix sighed "Nothing, just keep looking."

"ISAAC!"

~~~

" *sniff* Isaac…*sniffle* WHERE ARE YOU ISAAC!?!" Mia shouted before breaking into a fresh set of tears, crying on the Lemurian's shoulder. Piers said nothing, but patted Mia softly on the back.

'It's a cruel fate, that would allow such a pure soul this torment.' Piers thought to himself.

Mia continued crying on his shoulder.

~~~

"So Isaac, where ya' from?" asked Zidane as they walked.

The group continued trudging in the light snow. Isaac, Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi walked up ahead, while Steiner brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for any monsters.

"Dear, it is where ARE YOU from," Dagger corrected, annoyed at Zidane's lack of proper grammar..

"Oops, sorry, anyway, where ARE YOU from Isaac?"

Dagger smiled at Zidane.

Isaac thought to himself for a moment, on one hand, he knew next to nothing about this rather rag-tag group, but they had helped him out. Without them, he seriously doubted he would be standing right now. He decided to take a chance.

"Vale."

"Vale?" echoed Zidane.  


"Yep, Vale." Isaac repeated

"Hmmm, never heard of it." Zidane said

This statement disheartened Isaac considerably. He had hoped to be back in Vale in a few days, but now, he discovered that the people he'd been rescued by had no clue where he was from. Today, Isaac mused, was just not his day. He decided to change the subject

Looking at Vivi, he asked "That was some extremely powerful Psynergy you used back there Vivi, how'd you learn it so fast?"

Vivi looked at him oddly, "Thank you sir-"

Isaac cut him off, "Whoa, no-one's ever called me "sir" before. Just call me Isaac."

Vivi nodded and continued, "Okay…Isaac, but…what is Psynergy?

"What do you mean 'what is Psynergy'? You used it against that monster!"

"Ummm…what I used is called Black Magic" Vivi explained.

Now Isaac was REALLY confused, These people had another name for Psynergy? How strange. He shrugged it off and turned to Dagger.

"That was an incredibly powerful summon, what type of Adept are you?"

"Adept? What is an Adept?" Dagger inquired.

At this point Isaac was about ready to yell, and loudly at that.  


'Okay Isaac, we have a BIG problem here,' Bane told him

'You better believe it Bane, these people don't even know what an Adept is! We could be on the other side of Weyard!' 

'Urrrmm Isaac? It gets worse than that….' Granite piped in.

'What do you mean Granite?'

'You're an Venus Adept, an **EARTH **Adept, think about Weyard for a moment." Crystal said.

Isaac thought about that. Whenever he tapped into the powers of the earth, Isaac believed he could actually FEEL Weyard. He could feel the turn of the planet. He mentally made contact with the earth and discovered…

"Wait….Oh NO! NO! NO! NO!" Isaac screamed

"Isaac! What's wrong?" Zidane asked, worried.

But Isaac was deaf to all but his own screams. He was no longer ON Weyard. His mind was shattered, he was on ANOTHER planet! Garet, Jenna, Ivan, Felix, Sheba, and his parents…he'd never see any of them ever again, and _her_….he would never see Mia again. Tears falling from his eyes, he unsheathed Excalibur I and began hacking away at a nearby tree.

The same thought rang through his mind time and time again.

'Mia….'

'Mia….'

"MIA!" Isaac's scream reverberated throughout the planet.

~~~

Meanwhile

The six shadowed figures, obviously disturbed, argued around this scene.

"I TOLD YOU! WE SHOULD HAVE WARNED HIM!" the figure of the winged Judgment raged.

An icy blue woman, known as Shiva, stood up, a bitter look on her "You know the rules just as well as I, Judgment! It is forbidden for us to converse with mortals! To risk doing so is to risk warning the enemy!  


"To HELL with RULES!" Judgment continued "THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN PREVENT THE DESTRUCTION OF GAIA IS DOWN THERE LOSING HIS MIND!"

Shiva looked him eye-to-eye, "We cannot afford to become emotional over a single human!"

Another woman, Iris, laughed "What a bold statement Shiva! Considering the way you fawn over that 'Squall'!"

Shiva looked at her angrily, waves of icy energy radiating from her body "You…you leave him out of this!".

Once again, heated argument broke out. The largest of the sprits, the King of Dragons, Bahamut rose to his feet.

"Enough…" He said

Still they went on.

"I said…ENOUGH!" He roared.

Not a sound was heard.

"Judgment was right, It was a mistake to send the Chosen of Venus without any warning."

"But my King…", Shiva began

"Silence, Shiva. But still, it is too late now, we must find a way to calm Isaac and make him aware of his mission while not actually telling him."

Judgment looked towards Bahamut, "What are your orders my King?

"Bring me the Fallen Chosen of Mercury, bring me Alex."

~~~ 

Alex had seen quite a large number of things during his attempt to claim Alchemy's Power, but none such as odd as this. The collapse of Mt. Aleph had indeed taken his life, but because of his part in relighting the Lighthouses, selfish as it were, Alex was allowed entrance into the Land of the Guardians. Well, that, and the fact that Bahamut loved his dry sense of humor helped too.

'Even dead,' Alex thought 'I always attract the oddest company'

Bahamut grinned "I heard that you know,"

"My apologies," Alex said "What has affected you so that you would take me from my daily torture?"

"You know you love it" Bahamut said. "You watch over Mia, most of the day and *most* nights."

"Well…Its does have its perks…"

"How would you like a chance at resurrection Alex?"

"Hmmm…explain."

"As you know, and I KNOW you know, Isaac is on a different world to aid the Chosen of Gaia"

"So?"

"Well, we didn't inform him previous to relocation process."

"Ouch."

"Yes, ouch."

"Well as interesting as this story is, what does it have to do with me."  
  
"He has found out what has happened and is currently having a nervous breakdown."

"Wow, I didn't know that Guardians could screw up so badly."

"Now you know."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Aid him, and guide him through this tough period."

"Why me?"

"You are the only one that the enemy won't expect."  
  
"And the reward?"  


"I believe you can guess." Bahamut asked "So?"

Alex grinned "I believe you can guess."

~~~

NI: Wow! I think this is my longest chapter yet!

Haze: Shut up and start typing the next chapter already!

Serac: Welllll, someone's a little cranky.

Haze: *eye twitching* 

Echo: The author would like to thank his reviewers

???

shadowthewindadept

Lyon

NI: Another note, to any readers out there, do you prefer Picard or Piers? I'm neutral to the matter though I understand some people can get a little heated about the name.

Serac: Hah hah! *sticks tongue out at Haze*

Haze: *casts Spark Plasma*

NI: AHH! Gotta run! Review! 


	4. Chapter IV

NI: Well, forth chapter already. My how the time flies when homicidal muses are attacking you….

Echo: Muse, Singular, and No S! I'm not THAT bad….

Serac: *riding a chocolate cake* YEEHAAWWW!

NI: Okay, one homicidal, one suicidal, and one uninteresting muse.

Echo: Thanks….hey!

NI: Heh…that's odd, where's Haze?

Serac: After the last chapter, I saw fit to _deal_ with him…HAHAHHAHAHAH!

Haze: *muffled in a suitcase* MMMMMMFHHHH!

Echo: Uh-oh…  
  
NI: You said it…Disclaimer?

Serac: NOT IMPORTANT DOES NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN OR FINAL FANTASY!

~~~

Tipping the Scales

Chapter IV

'Hmmm, where is he, I wonder?' Alex mused to himself. 'Bahamut said I would be taken near Isaac, but not how near, hmmm…."

He continued walking and came across the scorched frame of the Behemoth.

'Well, this might be a clue' Alex's Djinn Sparkle said ' a giant purple corpse, what do you think?'

Alex thought again about his new "partner", Bahamut had seen fit to give Sparkle to him before he had left the Interval, as well as a new katana to replace his old one, which was currently under, quite literally, a mountain of rubble. The sword, Glacier Song, was sleek, swift, and it radiated a powerful, icy blue glow. It's unleash, Frozen Tempest, didn't hurt his feelings either. His Djinn on the other hand…Sparkle's power added to his considerable own, but her personality…well, quite often he wondered how in the world Isaac's and Felix's groups could light the four Lighthouses with out going insane.

"Yes, this does look like Isaac's handiwork, the tracks leaded south. I suppose we should get moving." Alex said.

A thought occurred to him.

"Sparkle."

"Yes?

"I watched over Felix, Sheba, and Jenna, to make sure they didn't screw up, mind you, and when they released their Djinn, They did something beneficial in battle, why haven't you done anything special?"

"Why Alex! I thought you'd never ask. Well, truth be told, when you release me, I..uhh…don't really do _anything_…".

"WHAT?!?".

"Let me finish! My effect is that I count four times more than a normal Djinn for summoning.".

"Oh, that means…wow…nice effect…".

" Yeah, I think so.".

The pair continued walking.

"Uh oh! Alex! Trouble ahead!" Sprinkle warned.

A pack of wolfs approached him, Alex unsheathed his blade, and held it in position. They bared their fangs, and stood their ground. Alex smirked.

"Scared?".

"GRRRR….".

"You should be,".

The wolfs charged at Alex, and he ran at them, blade at his side. SLICE! A wolf fell in two.

SLASH! Wolfs were knocked back at the force of his swing. Alex blew the hair out of his face and smiled.

"Well as fun as this is, it is time for the game to end.".

He held his blade up in the air, and it glowed a fantastic blue. He looked down at the scattered wolfs and grinned.

"UNLEASH FROZEN TEMPEST!".

Alex brought the blade down, and a gust of wind burst from the tip of his sword. The wind circled the enemies and formed a tornado around them. Ice crystals formed as the wind grew in intensity, and soon, the wolfs were caught in an icy deathtrap. The tornado reduced them to ribbons. Alex sheathed his blade, and calmly continued walking.

  
~~~

This was not a good day for Ivan. In fact, this could quite be Ivan's worst day ever. Not only had Feizhi gotten mad at him, he had forgotten his staff, been bitten by a rat, and tripped over a rock. Yes, this was NOT a good day for Ivan at all. Ivan HAD planned to visit Isaac and the others in Vale, but Feizhi had asked for him to stay. Ivan had really wanted to visit his friends, so the two argued about it for about a hour, when Ivan had realized the fatal flaw in arguing with Feizhi, They were in Xian, and Feizhi was the daughter of the LORD of Xian. Therefore, one minute later, Ivan felt himself on the ground outside of Xian.

The guard huffed at Ivan, "Lady Feizhi has instructed me to prevent you from returning until "He crawls back on his legs begging for forgiveness."

"What? HEY! MY STUFF IS STILL INSIDE!" Ivan yelled.

"Sorry".

And THAT, is how Ivan ended up walking north to Vale.

"Stupid Feizhi".

~~~

Vivi, Dagger and the prone form of Isaac, were in at tent in the forest while Zidane and Steiner argued about whatever topic came up. Vivi looked at Isaac and then at Dagger.

"I hope Isaac is okay," Vivi said.

"I wish I knew what was wrong with him." Said Dagger.

Zidane stuck his head in the tent.

"Well, he started screamin' an yelling, and then started hacking away at a tree" Zidane explained.

"I do hope Sir Isaac isn't…mad… or any such." Steiner said from outside

"I don't think so, it seemed like he had a…effinity". Zidane said

"You mean an epiphany, dear." Dagger corrected.

"Yeah, his face went white, like he had made some terrible discovery" Zidane continued 

"Poor man, perhaps Uncle Cid can help him find this "Vale" after the Festival,". Dagger said 

"Yeah, speaking of which, when exactly is he picking us up?" Zidane asked

"It should be soon, Vivi's Flare should have attracted the Hilda Garde 4 by now,". She explained.

Steiner stood outside and kept watch over the area, when he spotted someone approaching in the distance.

"Zidane, Master Vivi, My Queen! We have company!" He shouted as his hand went to his sword

The three quickly grabbed their weapons, and hurried outside

"And here I hoped to make a grand entrance. My name is Alex and… oh dear, now, now, my good sirs and lady, surely, weapons will not be necessary?" Alex said

"What do you want?" Dagger asked, keeping a firm grip on her Whale's Whisker.

"I merely wish to know if you have come by a…"friend" of mine, his name is Isaac, he is blonde, wears a blue tunic, and has a long yellow scarf."

"And if we have?"

"Well then I must insist on him coming with me,".

"And if we don't trust you?".

Alex unsheathed Glacier Song "Like I said before, I must _insist_!'

Zidane grabbed his Orihicalon daggers, "Hey buddy, you better watch it!":

Dagger looked Alex straight in the eyes "We shall give you one chance to leave in peace,"

Alex smirked "And if I refuse?"

"Then you leave in pieces!" Zidane retorted

"So be it!"

~~~

Alex sighed mentally, and cursed his bad luck. Glacier Song struck time and time again, but the boy with the tail was too nimble to hit. He turned his attention to the large man in armor, thinking him the biggest threat, after all, what can a young woman and a child do? Alex's sword clashed time and time again, but the man was too strong to beat with brute force.

'Hmm…what to do? What to do' Alex thought '…Aha!'

He raised his hand into the air and shouted "MEGACOOL!"

Sharp ice crystals erupted from the ground, it wasn't enough to damage the big man, but the crystals blocked him from moving. He turned his focus on the young boy with the tail, when suddenly he was hit straight on the back with a fireball. He turned to see his attacker, but had to look down to see the form of Vivi, staff in hand.

'Hmmm…the little runt knows Psynergy ,and powerful at that, who would of thought it?'

Knocking Zidane away, he trudged towards Vivi. The black mage fired another Firaga spell at Alex, but it went right over his shoulder. A clear miss! Alex stood over Vivi, ready to strike.

"You need better aim, or needed it, same difference"

"Who said I was aiming for you?" The little mage said.

Alex had about a second to think on this as Steiner delivered a mighty sword stroke empowered by Vivi's Firaga spell.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" Alex screamed

In his rage, Alex stabbed Glacier Steel right though Steiner, but was amazed as a white light covered the wound and it disappeared! He looked up and saw the young girl finishing her spell.

'Damn, a healer," He thought to himself, 

Once again, the boy began to annoy Alex, peppering him with light scratches that distracted him while the large man delivered more magic/sword combinations. NOW he was beginning to get angry…

"Alright! THAT'S IT!" He used his Teleport Lapis to warp a good distance away from the two warriors, and raised his sword high into the air as it began to charge a deep blue. He smiled as he started to bring it down.

" UNLEASH FROZEN-"

"UNLEASH LEGEND!" A voice shouted from behind

'Oh crap…' was Alex's last thoughts as three energy blades slammed into him and everything went black.

~~~

NI: Wow! I really liked this chapter.

Haze: Shut. Up.

Echo: The author would like to thank all of his reviewers.

Serac: Heeheeheehee…

Haze: Grrrrr…..

NI: The next chapter will be coming….uhhh….whenever? I dunno.

Serac: *laughing insanely*

Haze: Urge…to…kill…rising…

NI: Errr…if we're still alive that is…

Echo: Review!


	5. Chapter V

NI: Sorry for the delay, but I've been busy with school and whatnot, which has seriously cut in on writing time

Haze: You do know that I expect my paycheck by next Saturday…or else!

Echo: We don't get paid. Do we?

NI: Errr…..

Serac: I get paid!

Haze: See what I-

Serac: IN POP-TARTS!

Haze: -mean…

NI: Lets start the chapter before I have a union strike on my hands…. Disclaimer?

Echo: Not Important does not own Golden Sun or Final Fantasy!

Tipping The Scales

Chapter V

Judgement tapped his foot, impatiently. He had received a stating for him to wait for him near the Statue of Venus at the Venus Lighthouse, though he had no clue who had sent it, or why. Glancing at his reflection at the water, he mused on his "human" appearance. It had been decreed by Bahamut that all Guardians were to have a human form, in the event that secrecy be needed. The majority preferred their true forms, but a few liked the new look. Judgment, who looked extraordinarily similar to Isaac, though with longer hair, was one of them. He glanced over his shoulder, to see three figures nearing,. One, an old man with a large electrically charged hammer strapped on his back., another, a tall man with hair that seemed to be on fire, and the last, with a startling resemblance to Shiva, a young woman with short blue hair, tied into multiple ponytails.

"About time" he said, realizing who the figures were. "I'd think that the almighty Thor, Meteor, and Boreas would be more punctual…"

"Yes, yes" The woman, Boreas, said, "We were held up, this meeting is against the laws after all."  


"I assume there is point to all of this?" Judgment asked.

"As you know," Thor began, "this whole situation with the Gaians is beginning. It is necessary for Isaac to be there, if frustrating. We have been talking, with Catastrophe, Iris, and Charon, as well as the other Guardians, that the Chosen of Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter need to be informed of the situation. We brought the idea to Bahamut, but the other Guardians, concerned more about their Chosen, convinced him to reject it."

"So…where does this leave us?" Judgment asked.

"It is Boreas' plan to defy the Council and warn the Weyardians." Meteor said.

Boreas looked at him hopefully, "Your opinion?"

"I cannot wait to see Shiva's expression" Judgment smirked.

~~~

Ivan, still trodding his way to New Vale after 5 days, was seriously annoyed. Monsters had ambushed him several times in the last two days. Now of course, despite his lack of weapon and armor, with his Psynergy and Djinn, he made quick work of the weak enemies. What really concerned him, was the fact that he had failed to predict the attacks beforehand. What he could feel, however, was that something bad was about to happen…or had happen…he couldn't tell. He needed to talk to Sheba and soon…

~~~

Far away, in an indescribable place, a sinister being watched as its evil influence spread.

"M-m-mas-ster?" A small thing said, crawling up to it.

Its voice alone put the minion in a state of terror.

"What do you want!?"

"The plan goes as necessary. Soon, HE will arrive on Weyard, and with his power, will annihilate the Adepts there," 

"Yes, yes, and what of Gaia, have the Chosen of Gaia fallen?"  


"N-n-not yet, s-s-sire…" He said, trembling

"FOOL!THE PESTS MUST BE ELIMINATED!" It screamed.

"P-p-please Master! Do not hurt me!" The pathetic thing recoiled as if something had hit him.

"I will not, but do not return until they are ALL DEAD! EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!" It roared

The thing hurried out of the room.

"Soon, my plan will be in motion, and there won't be a thing the Guardians can do to stop me!" The being spoke to itself

~~~

Felix walked in to his house, carrying a sleeping Sheba on his back. He put her down on the couch, and began to stretch. Picard came down from upstairs, and looked at him. 

"So?" Picard asked, hopefully.

"No sign of him." Felix said sadly, "How's Mia?"

"She has refused to eat anything, I think she may be giving up hope." The Lemurian said.

Felix stared into space, "We've no clue to where Isaac may be. Garet and Jenna have the Teleport Lapis, and are currently searching all of Weyard for him, but I've not heard from them in a few hours."

"Why did this have to happen, Felix?" Picard asked, "We traveled the world, lit the Lighthouses, and we even beat a THREE-HEADED DRAGON for Mercury's sake! Why, Why, Why can fate just not leave us alone?"

Felix looked at him, "Do you think everything that has happen is because of destiny, Picard?"

"I do,"

"Well, I don't buy it, if Isaac's disappearance was destiny, then I'm going to make it my destiny to FIND him!" Felix pointed to Sheba, "Make sure she gets some rest, I'll be back in by morning."

~~~

Outside of New Vale, a portal, flashing a bright white, released its passenger.

A man, dressed in black, with long flowing silver hair, and with an incredibly large sword at his side appeared.

"Felix…Felix…Felix, the hunt has began, and YOU are the prey!"

~~~

NI: Uh-oh…Felix is in trouble….

Haze: Whatever. This chapter is too short y'know!

NI: Yeah, yeah…

Echo: Wow. You really don't have a heart, do you?

Serac: I like candy hearts!

NI: Serac! Stay away from the sugar, that's an order!

Serac: Awww….

NI: A Pop-Tart to those who know who the mystery man is, and I'm sure you do.

Serac: Mmmmm…strawberry!

Echo: Review!

. 


	6. Chapter VI

NI: Well, time for another chapter,

Djinn: * Snoring *

NI: Shhh…must be quiet

I DON'T….errr….I don't own Golden Sun or Final Fantasy

Tipping the Scales

Chapter VI

Alex awoke to find two very discomforting things. One, that his katana, Glacier Song, was no where to be seen, and the second, that Isaac was pointing his sword at his throat. He decided that tact was the way to go. 

"Is-"Alex began

Isaac cut him off, "Alex, before you say anything, remember that a wrong answer will leave an awful bloodstain on the ground…"

'Well,' Alex mused, 'This whole situation must have REALLY pissed Isaac off. He's never made very intimidating death threats before….'

"How about I ask the questions hmmm? Good." Isaac continued, " First, where are we?"

"Not in Vale."

"Alex!"

"No sense of humor. To answer your question, we are on the planet Gaia."

"And you know this because…"  
  
"Can't say,"

"ALEX!"

"Really, I cannot say. Here, let me show you. It's beca-"Alex began to say as clouds began to form, and thunder roared, "-use the-" Lightning came down, nearly striking the pair. "See?"

"Alright…."

"Anything else?"

"How do I get home?"

Thunder began to roar again.

Alex pointed up "That answer your question? With that out of the way, could you please remove your sword from my windpipe? I am still in need of it."

Isaac sighed, and complied. "Damn, you're never any help you know?"

"Oddly enough, I can tell you that I am here to help."  
  
"That's like subtracting help…"

A voice rang out, "Isaac! You done yet? Owwch…Dagger…"

"Don't rush him!"

Alex raised an eyebrow, "Quite the colorful group you found here, Isaac."

Despite himself, Isaac laughed "You know, you could say that about everyone back home too". Sighing again, Isaac called back to them "Just a minute, WE will be over in a few" he said, emphasizing the we.

"Well hurr-errr…Take your time!"

"Better…"  


~~~

Sheba walked cautiously in the dark forest. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep, Felix must have set her down to rest and then continued searching.

"Hmm…wonder where Felix got off to?" She thought to herself.

"Hey Sheba! Over here!" Felix said, waving to her.

She smiled and walked over to him.

Suddenly, a man fell down from the trees, sword pointed down. Then sword impaled Felix and kept going through.

With his eyes still locked on her, Felix fell, dead before he hit the ground.

"FELIX!"

The man pulled his sword out of Felix. He smiled. She screamed.

Sheba woke up, screaming and drenched in sweat.

~~~

"All of the pieces are in play" Bahamut said, mainly to himself.

"Worried, sire?" a young woman next to him said.

"Certainly Iris, who wouldn't be?"

"Charon has spoke nothing but praises about Felix, he WILL win." She said with certainty.

"Yes well, If the what has been fortold is true, then tonight could very well be the deciding factor in the events to come. And I can't help but think I am forgetting something."

"My king, there is nothing to fear" 

"Iris, I truly hope you are right," 

~~~

Alex sighed as the group walked along in the forest. "Where are we going, if I may ask."

The girl, Dagger, turned around and looked at him, "We are going to a city where my Uncle shall pick us up, and take us back to Lindblum."

Alex and Isaac looked at her, confused, "Lindblum?" Alex asked.

"You don't know…nevermind, Lindblum is a the most advanced city on Gaia, my uncle, Cid , is the Regent of the city and surrounding areas."

Alex thought for a second, "if your uncle is a Regent, then you must be a…princess, correct?"

Zidane grinned at him, "Almost there, my girl, Dagger, is actually Queen Garnet of Alexandria, another city I'm sure you haven't heard of" 

This bit of information puzzled Isaac, "Waitaminute, If you're a queen then what are you doing out here?"

She blushed slightly, "Well, Uncle Cid needed someone to explore the area for choice monsters and…"

Zidane laughed "To put it simply, she was bored"

Head down, she nodded, like it was some kind of crime.

"I do not want you to get the wrong impression, I am usually very responsible and…" She studdered.

Now it was Isaac's turn to laugh, "Don't worry, It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Vivi, who had been silent for quite awhile, spoke up, "There it is! Esto Gaza and Regent Cid's airship!"

"About time!" Zidane said impaitently 

~~~

Both Isaac and Alex were, simply put, astounded. The airship, Hilda Garde 4, was like nothing they had seen before. As they boarded the aircraft, a woman with sleek brown hair, and an eye-patch approched them.

"It is about time, your Hignness…I see you have managed to pick up some more stragglers…" She said, bemused.

"Yes, well, these two have an interesting story."

"Do they? Well, later, you must tell me. Here, I shall accompany you back to your quarters.

"Thank you,"

"This way, your Hignness,"

The two walked off.

"Who was that, Zidane?" Isaac asked.

"That was Beatrix, general of Alexandria's army." Zidane said

"She seems nice," Alex said.

"You're saying that now, wait until she decides she wants to see how good you are in a fight" Zidane said smiling.

"Well she can't be THAT good, can she?" Alex said, intreagued.

"Just you wait, oh and one more thing, we'll make sure Dagger knows ahead of time," Zidane said as he walked off.

"Why?" Isaac asked.

"So she can sow our heads back onto our bodies" Alex said sardonically.

"Dagger's a healer?"

"Yeah, I found that out during our little…scuffle"

Isaac was confused again, "Alex, why were you fighting them in the first place?"  
"They had you, and it was and is my duty to find and help you."

A small voice from out of nowhere piped up. "Hey! Don't forget MEEEEE! It's my job TOOOO!".

Alex sighed "Sparkle, I thought you were sleeping,"  
"I was, and now I don't need sleep for another 47 hours, which is good because when I'm not around you get in SOOOO much trouble!" 

Alex groaned to himself, 'This is going to be a looooong ride….".

~~~

NI: Whew, got through that chapter without ANY muse-interferance, heh, a miracle!

Muses: *still sleeping* 

NI: Gotta go! Please review!


	7. Chapter VII

NI: Okay, on with the next chapter!

I DON'T OWN GOLDEN SUN OR FINAL FANTASY

~~~

Tipping The Scales

Chapter VII

Felix walked aimlessly around outside Vale for hours before stopping in a field. He knew that his chances of finding Isaac were as about as likely as his chances of Sheba listening to him…hah! However, being alone helped him think, as it always had. He thought about Isaac, his disappearance, how much longer Mia would last in her current state, the prank that Sheba had pulled on him several days before, and whether he should break Garet's arm or leg first for his latest move on Jenna. 

"Stupid, confusing, maybe a week, just…no, I am not going to even THINK about ever again, and…. Both." Felix said aloud to no one.

"Do you frequently talk to yourself?" a voice from behind asked.

Felix jumped around, startled. Though it was dark, Felix could make out several things about the stranger, he had incredible shining blue eyes, long flowing platinum hair, a black cape, and an impossibly long sword at his side. Another thing Felix could see was the way the man held himself. Obviously, he was not someone to be trifled with.

"Not often, though that says more about my lack of alone time rather than my mental health" Felix said jokingly.

The man smiled, though it was not one that put Felix at ease, rather, it almost made him reach for his sword. "Yes, well, I must be off, might I have you name?" He asked

Felix hesitated, it went against his better judgement to give his name freely, but he didn't want to appear rude…

"It's Felix."

The stranger's eyes flashed "Oh really…THE Felix? The one who saved this world from…"

He sighed, "The same…" Felix got this a lot, travelling around helping others and saving the world generally tended to build a reputation, next the man would probably ask for an autograph or some such.

"In that case, may I ask a favor of you," He said, smiling creepily again.

"Sure what do you want?"

"YOUR HEAD!"

~~~

"LET ME GO PICARD!" Sheba screamed.

The Lemurian shook his head, and tightened the bear hug he had on the young girl. "Felix gave me instructions to make sure you got some rest, and I'm going to make sure you do!"

Sheba was at the verge of tears, "Picard, you have to let me go, Felix is in deep trouble! I have to warn him! Please, for the love of mercy,"

Picard stood steadfast, Felix told him she might try something, "Don't think Felix hasn't warned my of your little lying problem as of late,"

The girl openly wept now, "I am a fucking JUPITER Adept! I know that the love of my life could be out there dead right now! If I can't peacefully, I WILL LEAVE BY FORCE!" She screamed at him.

Picard was stunned by her outburst, for one she never cursed, and second, she never threatened anyone. Though Felix had made him promise to keep her here, Picard let her go. 

Sheba gave him a peck on the cheek, and raced out the door.

~~~

The man unsheathed his sword and swung it at Felix. "My name is Sephiroth, remember it, fool, it will be the last name you ever hear!"

Out of pure instinct, Felix raised the Sol Blade to block the incoming attack. The two swords collided, and the amount of force between the two pushed them back.

"Well, well, maybe you might give me a workout after all."

"Shut up and fight!" Felix snarled.

Sephiroth nodded and immediately went back on the attack slamming his sword, the Masamune, against Felix time and time again. His style was one that Felix had never seen before; Sephiroth seemed to know exactly where Felix was going to be a millisecond after his own swing. Felix realized that this was no normal opponent.

Felix blocked each of Sephiroth's attacks, but each hit drained him, and he knew he couldn't keep this pace for much longer. He needed a new tactic, fortunately he still had his trump card, Megiddo, but he planned on saving that until he really needed it. 

'For now, I'll get some distance and slam him with Pynergy' Felix thought. 

He jumped back, and called out, 

"UNLEASH MUD!"

The earth Djinn immediately sprung out and showered Sephiroth in sticky mud. "That'll keep him busy," Felix thought.

Talking this time to recuperate Felix swiftly casted Potent Cure on himself. He then charged back in, hoping to do some damage before the Djinn's effect wore off. He swung at Sephiroth, but the black-coated warrior was still able to bring his sword to block.

Sephiroth grinned, "Want to use magic huh? Fine then, QUAKE 3!"

Felix had a second to pause before a huge mass of earth and rock sprung up, slamming the young Adept.

Being an Earth Adept, he was resistant to earth-based attacks, but with so much power, pain spasmed though his body anyway. 

The rock formation retreated down into the ground, and Felix fell to the earth with a sickening thud.

He laid there, motionless.

"Well, Felix of Vale, you have given me quite bit of fun, but now, it ends!"

Sephiroth, shaking off the rest of the magical mud, closed in on him, preparing to deliver the final blow. He raised his sword and brought it down!

~~~

Sheba tore through the forest, looking for any sign of the brown-haired Earth Adept. She stopped, momentarily, to catch her breath, when, off in the distance she heard sounds of fighting. Sheba ran to clearing where she heard the noise. As she approached the field she saw a man standing over Felix, apparently about to deliver the finishing blow.

"Well, Felix of Vale, you have given me quite a bit of fun, but now, it ends!"

'Like hell it does!' she thought to her self. Quickly, Sheba scanned over her options. They were too close together to use Psynergy, so she would have to use her Djinn…

"UNLEASH HAZE!" She screamed.

The Jupiter Djinn took effect over Felix, giving him a few precious seconds of invulnerability. Sephiroth's sword came down swiftly, but went straight through! Felix rolled out the way, picked up the Sol Blade, and climbed to his feet. Sheba came to his side, and noticed all of his cuts and bruises.

"Felix? Are you okay?" She said, worried.

"'m fine…ahh!" he clutched at his side in pain.

She took the moment to look at Felix's combatant, he appeared to be sizing her up, gauging her threat. She felt a wave of hatred flow through her. This man, who had come so close to taking Felix away from them, from _her,_ forever. He would PAY.

"Unleash Breath!" she said.

Another of Sheba's Djinn activated, healing Felix slightly. He shot her a look of gratefulness, before turning to face Sephiroth, a determined look on his face.

"Felix?" Sheba said.

"Yes?"

"Exactly how good is this guy?"

"_Good._"

"Lovely," With that, Sheba grabbed her Meditation Rod and took a defensive position.

Sephiroth smiled maliciously, "I guess now we continue hmmm?"

"Shut up and fight!" She yelled.

"He said that too…"

"ARRRRGH! SPARK PLASMA!" 

Thunderbolts rained down on Sephiroth, though he made no acknowledgement of it. With a wave of his hand he halted the attack.

"Yes, yes, I can do that too, Bolt 3!"

Felix and Sheba narrowly dodged the lightning. Unlike Sheba's Spark Plasma, Sephiroth's lightning left a deep crevice in the earth. It was evident whose was stronger.

"Iris preserve us….that power…it's unbelievable…" Sheba said.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out earlier," Felix said. 

"Great… HIGH IMPACT!""

Power surged through Felix as he planned a strategy to get though this in one piece. He considered his available options. He could use Psynergy, Djinn, or he could try his luck going sword-to-sword with this madman. Suddenly, another idea popped into his mind, but he'd need time to prepare it.

"Sheba, I have a plan,"

"What?"

"You'll see, just stay back and wait for my signal."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"All right."

Felix charged at Sephiroth, sword raised to strike him. Sephiroth brought his own sword to block, but suddenly Felix dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, catching him off guard. Felix used this time to release several Djinni adding to Sephiroth's confusion.

"Now Sheba! Summon _him_! NOW!" Felix yelled.

Sheba shuttered at the mere mention of his name, but knew that this was their last hope. It was the strongest thing in their arsenal, and if it didn't work…

"I SUMMON CHARON!" The Wind Adept screamed.

A dark fog covered the field, as the spirit was summoned. A dark vortex appeared signaling his arrival. The spirit Charon released an orb of immense dark energy. It swallowed Sephiroth whole, and then collapsed in on itself. With that, the spirit disappeared, leaving in its trace, a large amount of smoke where Sephiroth had been. Sheba exhaled, holding her breath the entire time. She turned around to face Felix.

"Is it over, Felix? Felix?" She stared at him. His face was stark white, it looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Not quite, my dear" a sinister voice said.

Sheba turned around shakily, knowing what was there. It was him…Sephiroth had lived!

"What are we going to do now?" She whispered to herself…

~~~

NI: I do so enjoy cliffhangers, don't you? MWHAHAHAHAHA*cough*HAHAHA!

Haze: You know what we do to people who use cliffhangers right? RIGHT?!?

Serac: Feed them candy?

Echo: Serac, let's play the quiet game, you first.

NI: Uhhhh…gotta go! Review!

Haze: GET BACK HERE!

Echo: Not in the house! Don't make me come over there!

Serac: *thinking* I am SO winning this game.


	8. Chapter VIII

NI: Not a single review…

Haze: …

Echo: What? No scathing insults? No homicidal rage?

Serac: Awww….the rage is always fun…

Haze: …

NI: Never mind him, lets keep going…disclaimer?

NOT IMPORTANT DOESN'T OWN GOLDEN SUN OR FINAL FANTASY!

NI: Oh yeah, spoilers for FFIX ahead so, be warned!

Tipping the Scales

Ch. VIII
    
    "How much longer Alex?" a whiney voice cried for the seemingly hundredth time. 

"I. Do. Not. Know." Alex said irritably as he strolled along the bridge of the airship, Hilda Garde 3. Sparkle had been nothing but a nuisance the ENTIRE time since the trip had began, and he was on the edge of throwing her off the ship and taking a sadistic pleasure in hearing her go SPLAT! He directed his attention away from the annoying Djinn and to his "partner" Isaac.

Isaac had appeared to be getting more comfortable with his surroundings, though his obvious desire to go back home was well…obvious. He talked a lot with Zidane and Garnet (or Dagger as she preferred to be called, much to the dismay of Steiner). The two told him the story of how they saved their world from imminent annihilation. They had fought a man intent on the destruction of Gaia, a man named Kuja. Upon achieving ultimate power, he discovered his own limited lifespan, which caused the lunatic to attempt to destroy the very foundations of their world. After a time, Isaac and himself told them of their own little adventure. Alex noted that Isaac, who had usually spoke of his and his friends accomplishment with great pride, realized his own story was but a single chapter compared to that of his new friends, and was very humble in the retelling.

To his credit, Alex mused, Isaac had left out his own role in those events, as he realized that such a tale would not do very well in making Alex a popular person. 

Two things intrigued Alex as he listened to their tale, first the ability to go into "Trance" a form brought on by intense emotion. The two talked quite a bit about that and the powerful abilities they had been granted in that form. Secondly, was the female general of Alexandria, Beatrix. The knight was very striking to him, and despite his attempts to learn more about her, he often ended up more confused than when he had begun.   
"Well," he thought to himself, "We're not going anywhere anytime soon, so I have plenty of time to find out more about her."

"Ahoy! you there, Blue Hair!" a rough voice from behind shouted.

Alex turned around, to find one of the crew addressing him.

"Yes?"

"I was told to find ya' and tell ya' to go down below decks, you hear?"

"And by whom was this order given?" Alex inquired.

"Why, by th' lady Beatrix herself," he said.

Alex perked up at that.

"Anything else?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, bring yer sword. She was REAL clear 'bout that."

"Alright, tell her I will be down in a moment"

"Tell her yerself, landlubber, I got's me work to do." With that, he walked off.

Alex shrugged, and made his way down.

***

Alex stepped nervously into the room he'd been instructed to meet Beatrix. He fingered Glacier Song often as he looked around. Finding nothing he began to walk out when a voice from behind him.

"Leaving so soon?"

He recognized the voice of Beatrix and turned around to face the auburn haired knight. 

"As enjoyable it is being in your company milady, I would hope there is a point to your summons?" Alex asked.

She smirked at him, and then unsheathed her sword, Save The Queen. She took a fighting stance. 

"Simple, if you are going to be in the company of my Queen, then I will find out how good you are."

"Gauging my threat?" Alex said as he drew Glacier Song.

"You might take it as such."

"That's odd. I would have assumed Zidane would be down here right now."

"Is it that obvious?" 

"The only thing more obvious is bright colored sign saying 'I LOVE HER'."

"Yes, well, the boy is rather trusting, too trusting if you ask me."

"Are we going to fight or stand here talking all day?"

"You are going to regret saying that!"

"Ahh!"

With that, Beatrix charged Alex, intent on determining exactly how good a swordsman he was. She performed a quick overhead slash, hoping to slice the Adept in two. Alex easily blocked the amateurish move, and countered with a swift attack of his own. In mirror of his own move, she blocked his attack, and then jumped back. 

"You can stop going easy on me, Lady General. Others might not be so generous." He went back on the attack, rapidly attacking her. Beatrix skillfully blocked each stroke, and then she countered with sword strikes of her own.

"Obviously, your no beginner. But can you handle THIS?!" She stepped back, and charged up her sword.

"CLIMHAZZARD!". Beatrix charged Alex, intending to strike. Alex brought his sword to block, but she was prepared. Beatrix jumped in the hair, and brought her sword down on Alex. The attack connected, and Alex felt his entire body explode with pain. He dropped to one knee. The fiery energies of the Climhazzard attack severely weakened him. Despite this, Alex felt elated at the prospect of a real challenge. He decided to match her, move for move.

"DIAMOND BERG!" With his cry, a massive iceberg landed on top of Beatrix. His katana glowed with a Psynergetic blue, as he attacked her with multiple sword strikes. Beatrix, frozen solid, could do nothing as Alex carved her up like a Thanksgiving turkey. She felt the icy sting of every swing. Alex relented his attack and fell to his knees exhausted from his own attack. He glanced at Beatrix to find her in a similar state. The two looked at each other with newfound respect.

"You're pretty good, Beatrix, though this fight is far from over!" Alex taunted.

"We will certainly see about that!" Beatrix countered. 

"Cura!"

"Ply Well!"

The two released restorative spells simultaneously. Healing energy flowed through them as they rose to their feet. Beatrix immediately went on the offensive, and began charging her blade again as Alex prepared a spell of his own. 

"HOLY!" 

"ICE MISSILE!"

"AHHHHH!" they collectively screamed. Alex's Ice Missile was raining down icy needles that ripped though Beatrix's skin while her own Holy spell had left Alex wondering if he still had any internal organs.   
Not surprisingly, the two stubbornly refused to stay down, once again rising to their feet.

'I…won't…give…up…' Alex thought.

'Cannot…give…up…ever…' Beatrix thought.

They both felt their magical energies grow dimmer by the second, it was obvious to them that this fight was going to won by swordplay, not magical prowess. Alex attacked with swift weak swings, while Beatrix stayed on the defensive, conserving what energy she could. Alex sensed his opponent to be weakening, he gathered the little Psynergy he had left and called out his final attack.

"PLUME EDGE!"

A immense geyser appeared under Beatrix and lifted her up into the sky. She was helpless as Alex released all his remaining Psynergy in a devastating sword attack. The general fell to the ground, motionless.

'Finally…it's over' Alex thought. But much to his dismay, Beatrix began to rise. He tried to stop her, but his last attack had drained all that was left out of him. He couldn't even move. 

"Won't…give…up…EVER!" Beatrix said as she climbed to feet, "You are…incredible, Alex, but now it ends! SHOCK!"

Alex could not defend himself as Beatrix released the powerful energy of her sword in an immense wave of power. It ran though him, utterly annihilating any energy he had left. Alex fell to the ground, defeated.

"I..I…won…I..wo…" She said as she fell over, landing on her foe.

It was over.

***

NI: Whoa, this was a long battle scene. 

Echo: You are NOT ending here!

NI: But…but…
    
    Echo: YOU ARE NOT ENDING IT HERE!

NI: Fine….
    
    ***

"EXACTLY HOW STUPID ARE YOU!?!" Garnet yelled at Beatrix, who was heavily bandaged.

The knight tried to say something in her own defense, "But, Your Highness-"

"SHUT UP!"

Beatrix sighed and continued listing to Garnet berate her.

Alex wasn't in a much better situation. He had been prepared for his own verbal abuse, but Isaac had walked in, a just stared at him silently. He left, leaving a confused Alex behind.

Zidane was confused "I don't get it Isaac, why didn't you yell at him or nothing?" 

Isaac smiled. "Because I did something infinitely worse, I gave him all of my Djinn."

" IIIIIIISSSSSAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCC!" Alex screamed.
    
    ***
    NI: May I end here Mother?

Echo: Yes you…hey!

Serac: Please review!

NI: Later!


End file.
